Although transcription factors AP-2alpha and AP-2gamma have been implicated in the control of estrogen receptor (ER) and ErbB-2, their impact for breast cancer is still controversial. To better understand the role of AP-2 proteins in mammary neoplasia, the analysis of their spatial expression pattern in normal breast and breast cancer is required. A total of 51 specimens of female breast cancer patients and a tissue microarray containing 93 additional female breast cancer cases were immunohistochemically stained for AP-2alpha, AP-2gamma, ER and ErbB-2. In 70 cases of the tissue microarray, survival data comprising a period of up to 30 years were present. In non-neoplastic breast tissue, AP-2alpha was expressed in the inner glandular cell layer while AP-2gamma was expressed in the outer myoepithelial cell layer. Ductal carcinoma in situ revealed strongly AP-2alpha-positive tumor cells surrounded by a layer of AP-2gamma-positive myoepithelial cells. In invasive carcinoma, expression of AP-2alpha and AP-2gamma was variable. High expression of ER and AP-2alpha showed better survival rates than low expression of these markers. AP-2gamma expression had no effect on survival. These results for the first time reveal a distinct spatial expression pattern of AP-2alpha and AP-2gamma in normal breast and in ductal carcinoma in situ with specific AP-2gamma expression in myoepithelium. High ER and AP-2alpha expression in invasive breast cancer showed favorable survival rates. Therefore, AP-2alpha expression seems to be associated with better prognosis of breast cancer. AP-2gamma expression has no influence on survival reflecting that myoepithelial cells are not involved in the neoplastic process.

Development of inducible genetic switches for in vivo use with transgenic mice has revolutionized many areas in modern molecular biology. Combining two techniques, Cre/loxP-based genetic recombination and ligand-dependent activation of a chimeric protein, we generated transgenic mice which allow for the spatiotemporal control of expression and of activity of the proto-oncogene c-myc. To these ends, the gene encoding the tamoxifen-inducible c-mycER(T) fusion protein (mycER(T)) was inserted in the ubiquitously active ROSA 26 gene locus by gene targeting. In the resulting ROSAMER allele, generalized transcription of the mycER(T) gene is prevented by a preceding transcriptional stop sequence which is flanked by loxP sites. Crosses of ROSAMER transgenic mice with Mox2 cre transgenic mice revealed tight control of mycER(T) transcription in various tissues unless the transcriptional stop sequence was removed by cre-mediated excision. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate tamoxifen-dependent activation of the MycER(T) protein in embryonic fibroblasts derived from such mice. As a proof of principle, we demonstrate that primary neural crest cultures established from ROSAMER mice maintain their proliferative capacity in a 4-OHT-dependent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrate that such neural crest cells retain their differentiation potential as shown by expression of NF 160, a marker of neuronal differentiation upon 4-OHT withdrawal. The transgenic mice produced may thus be valuable tools for studying the cell type-specific effects of c-myc activity in development and disease.